Suggestions on Bike Shorts?

[Biking Bella]

Hey ladies!

Again, thanks so much for all of the insight and inspiration on here!! I've been biking (seriously) for about 4 months now and I'm starting to get the addiction to beat my numbers. haha! But in all of my riding, I've started to notice, especially on the trails, that my bike shorts aren't doing me much good. Not the back, but the front. EEK! No rashes or chaffing, thank God, but when I checked out the padding last night, it seems as if its thicker in the back and thinner in the mid and front area.

Did I just get a bad set of shorts or is there something wrong with my fitting?

I have a hybrid bike - 2010 Schwinn Searcher Expert - and its a good starter bike for my 90% trail riding. I'll be biking approx. 150 trail miles at the end of this summer as a "30 Before 30 List" item that I want to mark off. We'll be doing this over a weekend and camping along the way. Its going to be a blast, and I can't wait, but the girlie parts are less than enthused.

I was hoping that you ladies might be able to lend some thoughts as to: suggested brands/types of biking shorts and/or seat positioning solutions that might be causing this.

Many thanks!

[Biking Bella]

Thanks so much!

I had contacted my local bike shop and they said "well, there isn't much as far as fitting to a hybrid bike". I thought that was unfortunate....there HAS to be something more than just moving the seat post up and down to qualify as being "fitted" for a hybrid bike.

I suppose the fact that I ride a hybrid at speeds that exceed 10mph is defying the laws of hybrid physics some how. haha. I don't know. I didn't get a road bike because I was doing trails most of the time, but I tend to try and go for speed/cadence/distance, which I would think isn't "normal" for hybrid riders? But I really don't know...I'm just guessing in comparison to what I see on the trail when I ride.

[hebe]

It might be worth considering changing the saddle if you haven't already done so? My first bike had a womens "comfort" saddle which may have been the biggest fib ever told. I changed it for a rather more streamlined saddle and it has felt like a different bike ever since.

As regards shorts, I mainly ride for transport at the moment and use padded liners under regular clothes. I like padding at the front, and also a bit at the sides but don't like bulk. I rate my Sheila Moon liner and my Gore shorty, and I have a winter weight pair of Terry tights with a nice chamois too. All without anything else underneath them. Arnica tablets are very good for any post-ride discomfort.

[ny biker]

Can you be more specific about the problem? Is it too much pressure? Numbness?

It could be that you need a different saddle.

It could also be that you need a different bike shop. I've never had a hybrid, but I'm pretty sure there is more to proper fit than moving the saddle up and down. For example you might be leaning forward too much to reach the handlebars.

[bellissima]

Thanks so much!

I had contacted my local bike shop and they said "well, there isn't much as far as fitting to a hybrid bike". I thought that was unfortunate....there HAS to be something more than just moving the seat post up and down to qualify as being "fitted" for a hybrid bike.

I suppose the fact that I ride a hybrid at speeds that exceed 10mph is defying the laws of hybrid physics some how. haha. I don't know. I didn't get a road bike because I was doing trails most of the time, but I tend to try and go for speed/cadence/distance, which I would think isn't "normal" for hybrid riders? But I really don't know...I'm just guessing in comparison to what I see on the trail when I ride.

I recommend seeing a different bike shop. I know several bike shops in my area that would help fit with any bike type. A fit is not just to set you up on the bike but also to find issues.

[goldfinch]

After fussing and fussing with the fit of my hybrid bike and never getting comfortable enough to ride it more than 5 miles in a shot, I have come to realize that the bike was wrong for me from the get-go. The handlebars are too high relative to the height of a seat. Lesson one: just because the seat can go low enough does not mean that the bike fits. If I angle the handbars down to lower them, the handlebars are then too far away, hurting both my rear and my hands when I ride. Lesson Two: The stated "size" of a bike is only part of the story, the effective top tube length is very important. No matter how I adjust my seat, up, down, forward, backward, angle up, angle down, the seat is uncomfortable. Lesson Three: A so called plush and wide comfort seat may be far more uncomfortable than a harder, narrower seat.

I was told my bike fit me fine. Here I was, an overweight woman in her fifties lookng for a cheap bike. They weren't much interested in me and they asked next to no questions about me or how I would ride. Lesson Four: Do your homework and don't trust the bike stores to help until you can speak their language.

Good luck on working out your issues.

[Koronin]

Hence the reason I drive 2 hours to Raleigh or 5 hours to Charlotte to go to my preferred bike stores. The one in Charlotte used to be LBS before we moved. We loved them and we always stop in there when we go back. For some things I will go to my local LBS, but not for other things. We have a really nice one about 45 minutes away and another one an hour away, but both of them are more beach crusier rental bike shops. So for most things if I want to see/try on/get fit ect, we'll be driving to Raleigh to go to one of two bike stores there.

[Biking Bella]

Ladies -

Thank you ALL for your replies! I really love the support and help I get from these forums - its really invaluable.

Let me see if I can add some more detail. I don't have any numbness or chafing, which is good. Its really more like a pressure thing. For a while there, I was riding in my biking shorts while using with undergarments...I was later told that wasn't the best idea. Taking that out of the equation, I'm still left with the same result of the pressure which later turns into a sharp pain. If I hop off of the bike and move around, I'll be ok. But usually after 7-9 miles, I have to take a break.

I was wondering if the seat was the issue. I know there are women's saddles out there, but being a newbie that has a $450 bike, I don't want to dump $150 into a saddle. That being said, if I'm going to do a 150 at the end of the summer, I'm sure it will be money well spent. Does anyone have any suggestions on brands/models? I'm 5'6", about 120lbs, so I don't need something with a lot of surface area.

As far as the fitting - I ran that same line past another cycling friend of mine and he agreed that wasn't right. "You don't need a full road biking work-up, but something more than what you got. Asking you the question, 'can your feet touch the ground' is NOT a professional fitting." And with that, he had me jump on my trainer-mounted bike and began to fiddle away. We squared up my knee to ball-of-foot measurement after fixing the leg extension angle. HA! In a full extension, my leg was still at about a 30-25º angle. Kind of sad. Afterwards we did a quick 13 mile trip. Things felt better, and I began to understand how shoes/clips would help with the efficiency of the process. So I suppose, in "short", I did get the basics of a proper fitting and we'll see how that works out.

Thank you again for all the insight and advice!